In NBA basketball, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz at home with points of 126–122. Lauri Markkanen shone as the number one scorer in the match, the start of which was delayed by 40 minutes.
Mika Halonen,
STT Sports
The San Antonio Spurs lost in the NBA Lauri Markkanen The Utah Jazz. The away team Jazz was ten points better in the last quarter, but it wasn’t enough, the Spurs won the match 126–122.
Markkanen was the best scorer of the match, succeeding in a double-double with 32 points and 12 rebounds. It is Markkanen’s second highest score of the season. Markkanen’s point record in the NBA is 38 points in the Pistons’ victory last week.
In the Spurs loss, Markkanen sank 8/18 of all shots and 3/10 of his threes.
Markkanen also succeeded in all 13 of his free throws. The Finn also accumulated the most playing time in the match, 37.45.
Utah’s score also included the second highest score of the match, 25 Jordan Clarkson. However, it was not enough when San Antonio Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Malachi Branham each collected double-digit points from their home field.
The Jazz had won their previous two games. Utah has won five of their last ten games. It is eighth in the Western Conference after 36 games.
The security threat delayed the start by 40 minutes
The match started 40 minutes late due to a security threat in the area. Local media told (you switch to another service), that the authorities had to close the streets near the stadium before the situation could be resolved. However, more detailed information about the reason was not given.
– Due to a potential security threat that has affected fans arriving at the AT&T Center, kickoff of tonight’s Spurs-Jazz game has been moved to 7:40, wrote a journalist reporting on the Jazz Ryan Kostecka On Twitter (you will switch to another service).
Another local media says (you switch to another service) the police had investigated a trash can in the area, so it was possibly some kind of bomb threat. Because of that, the area was closed, and the spectators couldn’t get into the hall in time. However, the alarm was lifted soon after the investigations.
– We apologize for the delay to all our fans. The safety of our guests is always extremely important. We are happy that the problem of the evening has been solved, stated Spurs in their press release.
Markkanen comment (you will switch to another service) case on ESPN.
– We were just about to run out of the players’ tunnel to warm up, but we were told to go back to the dressing room. It was a strange thing. This is the first time I experience something like this.
However, Markkanen added that the situation did not affect the team or the game performance.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy comment (you will switch to another service) after the losing game, that the team was having trouble making throws. Additionally, Hardy criticized his team’s collective defense.
The Jazz were already behind by 20 points in the third quarter, but at best got within three points of the Spurs with half a minute left in the game.
– They played better than us, they are a well-coached, hard-playing young team. Thanks to my team for your persistence. This is a great opportunity for our team to learn that we have to stay focused, Hardy reflected.
Markkanen played a big role in the team’s last quarter. He was praised for his aggressiveness on the offensive end, which led to getting to the free throw line.
Utah next travels to San Francisco, where it will face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday morning Finnish time.
You can see the results of the NBA round here and the standings here.